Aardvark | National Geographic An aardvark photographed at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Nebraska Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark About the Aardvark Aardvarks live throughout Africa, south of the Sahara. Their name comes from South Africa's Afrikaans language and means “earth pig.” A glimpse of the aardvark's body and long snout brings the pig to mind. On closer inspection, the aardvark appears to include other animal features as well. It boasts rabbitlike ears and a kangaroo tail—yet the aardvark is related to none of these animals. Burrow Digging and Diet Aardvarks are nocturnal. They spend the hot African afternoon holed up in cool underground burrows dug with their powerful feet and claws that resemble small spades. After sunset, aardvarks put those claws to good use in acquiring their favorite food—termites. While foraging in grasslands and forests aardvarks, also called “antbears,” may travel several miles a night in search of large, earthen termite mounds.

A hungry aardvark digs through the hard shell of a promising mound with its front claws and uses its long, sticky, wormlike tongue to feast on the insects within. It can close its nostrils to keep dust and insects from invading its snout, and its thick skin protects it from bites. It uses a similar technique to raid underground ant nests. Female aardvarks typically give birth to one newborn each year. The young remain with their mother for about six months before moving out and digging their own burrows, which can be extensive dwellings with many different openings. © 1996-2017 National Geographic Society. aardvark | mammal | Britannica.com Aardvark Alternative Titles: African ant bear, ant bear, antbear, Orycteropus afer Related Topics vertebrate Aardvark (Orycteropus afer), also called antbear, stocky African mammal found south of the Sahara Desert in savanna and semiarid areas. The name aardvark—Afrikaans for “earth pig”—refers to its piglike face and burrowing habits.

The aardvark weighs up to 65 kg (145 pounds) and measures up to 2.2 metres (7.2 feet) long, including the heavy, 70-cm (28-inch) tail. The face is narrow with an elongated snout, very reduced eyes, and ears up to 24 cm (9.5 inches) long. The aardvark’s coat is scant and yellowish gray; the face and tail tip may be whitish. The four toes on the front foot (five on the hind feet) are equipped with strong, flattened nail-like “hooves” resembling spades. Aardvark (Orycteropus afer). Orphaned aardvark at Naankuse Wildlife Sanctuary, Windhoek, Namibia. © Martin Harvey (A Britannica Publishing Partner) The aardvark excavates branching burrows , usually 2–3 metres long but sometimes up to 13 metres, with several sleeping chambers. It abandons old burrows and digs new ones frequently, which thereby provides dens used by other species such as the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus).

The aardvark’s diet consists almost entirely of ants and termites . At night it travels 10–30 km (6–19 miles), ambling along familiar paths in a zigzag fashion, pausing frequently to sniff and press its snout against the soil . Fleshy sensory organs on the nasal septum probably detect tiny underground movements. With its strong claws the aardvark can rapidly open a cement-hard termite mound. The nostrils are squeezed shut to keep out flying dust. The sticky tongue, extending to 30 cm (nearly 12 inches) from the small mouth, is then used to lap up the insects. A thick hide protects the aardvark from insect bites and stings. If threatened while away from a sheltering burrow, an aardvark can dig its way out of sight in five minutes. An acute sense of hearing protects it from being surprised by predators, which include pythons, lions, leopards, and hyenas. If a predator tries to dig it out of its burrow, the aardvark rapidly moves soil to block the tunnel behind itself. When attacked it slashes with its formidable front claws.

Aardvark (Orycteropus afer). Aardvark | Define Aardvark at Dictionary.com aardvark noun 1. a large, nocturnal, burrowing mammal, Orycteropus afer, of central and southern Africa, feeding on ants and termites and having a long, extensile tongue, strong claws, and long ears. Origin of aardvark 1825-35; < Afrikaans erdvark < Dutch aardvarken, equivalent to aarde earth + varken pig; see farrow 1 Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for aardvark Expand Contemporary Examples Ed Markey (D-MA) appeared with Arthur the aardvark, the star of the PBS show Arthur, to promote funding for public broadcasting. British Dictionary definitions for aardvark Expand noun 1. a nocturnal mammal, Orycteropus afer, the sole member of its family (Orycteropodidae) and order (Tubulidentata).

It inhabits the grasslands of Africa, has long ears and snout, and feeds on termites Also called ant bear Word Origin C19: from obsolete Afrikaans, from aarde earth + varken pig Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for aardvark Expand n. 1833, from Afrikaans Dutch aardvark, literally "earth-pig" (the animal burrows), from aard "earth" (see earth ) + vark "pig," cognate with Old High German farah (source of German Ferkel "young pig, sucking pig," a diminutive form), Old English fearh (see farrow ).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper EDGE :: Mammal Species Information Aardvarks: The Most Evolutionarily Distinct Mammals 23rd Mar 12 A baby aardvark was born in Antwerpen zoo in Belgium on the 6th of January, called ‘Nuru’, which means 'light' in Swahili. It is only the tenth baby... Read Evolutionary Distinctiveness Order: Tubulidentata Family: Orycteropodidae The order Tubulidentata contains only one family, Orycteropodidae, of which the aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is the only living species. There are 3 extinct genera, although some argue that one of these, Plesiorycteropus, represents a separate order. The fossils record for the Tubulidentata dates back to the Eocene (55-34 million years ago). In the Miocene (24-5 million years ago) Tubulidentata showed its widest distribution and greatest diversity, with 6 Euroasian and 5 African species of Orycteropus existing at this time.

However, by the Pleistocene Orycteropus was limited to Africa and today the aardvark is the only remaining species and has been present in Algeria since the late Pleistocene (2 million to 10,000 years ago) until the present time. Description Tail length: 443-710 mm Weight: A typical adult weighs 50-70kg The aardvark has a large powerful body with an arched back. Its head and snout are elongated. It has a rounded muzzle similar to that of a pig. A typical adult’s head and body measurement is 1,000-1,580mm. The tail is muscular and thick at the base, measuring 443-710mm. Shoulder height is between 600 and 650mm. A typical adult weighs 50-70kg, with males being slightly larger than females. The skin is pinkish and very thick; it appears to be impervious to insect bites and can even help protect the aardvark from an attack by a predator. The bristly hair is brown to grey in colour.

Sensitive facial hairs, known as vibrissae, are present around the eyes and muzzle. The ears are tubular and capable of moving independently of each other. The long tapering tongue can extend up to 300mm. The legs are short and stocky. The feet are equipped with strong blunt claws suited to burrowing. The teeth do not grow simultaneously, the ones at front growing first and being replaced by others from further back in the mouth when they fall out. Ecology The aardvark is an adept digger. It uses its powerful forefeet to dig and pushes the excavated earth away using its back legs and strong tail. It constructs three different types of burrow: shallow holes when hunting for food; temporary shelters; and extensive systems of tunnels when the young are born. The aardvark is regarded as a keystone species as the holes it digs are utilised by many other species, including snakes, lizards, hyenas and wild dogs. The aardvark is mainly nocturnal (or night-active) and it emerges from its burrow to feed in the dark. It moves between termite mounds in a zigzag pattern along a route that it follows regularly.

The aardvark walks on its claws with its trail dragging on the ground. Its movements appear slow and awkward, yet it is capable of moving rapidly if alarmed. Its eyesight is poor but it has acute hearing and a good sense of smell. The aardvark tears into the nests of ants and termites, which are then gathered up using its long sticky tongue. Typically an aardvark travels about 10km a night. Both sexes have been reported to utilize a home range about 3.5km in diameter. Aardvarks are generally solitary but the young accompany the mother for a long time after birth. Sexual maturity is reached at about 2 years and gestation lasts 7-9 months. Usually one offspring is produced, occasionally two. The young remain in the burrow for about 2 weeks after which time they accompany the mother for several months. Habitat Aardvarks occur in a variety of habitats including grassy plains, woodland and savannah. They prefer sandy soils but the main factor influencing their distribution appears to be availability of ants and termites.

Distribution The aardvark is a widespread species found in most of the sub-Saharan countries in Africa, wherever suitable habitat and food resources can be located. View this species distribution with the Google Earth plug-in Population Estimate Although aardvarks are rarely seen, this is because of their elusive behaviour and not necessarily due to low numbers. A population estimate for the species is currently unknown. Population Trend Population trends are very difficult to assess. In southern Africa the population is believed to be stable aside from fluctuations occurring in response to natural variation of environmental conditions. In eastern, central, and western Africa, however, numbers may be declining as a result of human population increase and settlement expansion, habitat destruction and conversion into agriculture, and subsistence hunting (Nowak. 1999). Status The aardvark is listed as Least Concern in the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Threats The aardvark has no major threats. Minor threats include habitat loss due to agricultural conversion and subsistence hunting for meat. In some areas the hide of the aardvark is made into straps and bracelets and the claws used as good luck charms.

The burrows can cause damage to faming equipment and in certain areas farmers have exterminated aardvarks. However, in areas where aardvarks have been removed termites have subsequently inflicted enormous damage on crops. Conservation Underway No conservation measures have been recommended at present. Conservation Proposed IUCN Red List References Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) (1996). 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Boitani, L. (1998). African Mammals Databank - A databank for the conservation and management of the African mammals, volumes 1 and 2. Report to the Directorate-General for Development of the European Commission, Bruxelles. Project No. B7-6200/94-15/VIII/ENV. Istituto Ecologia Applicata, Rome.p> Kingdon, J. (1997). The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals. Academic Press, London, UK. Lehmann, T., Vignaud, P., Likius, A.

and Brunet, M (2005). A new species of Orycteropodidae (Mammalia, Tubulidentata) in the Mio-Pliocene of northern Chad. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 143 (1) : 109-131 Lehmann, T., Vignaud, P., Mackaye, H.T., and Brunet, M (2004) A fossil aardvark (Mammalia, Tubulidentata) from the lower Pliocene of Chad. Journal of African Earth Sciences 40 (5) : 201-217 Lindsey, P., Cilliers, S., Griffin, M. & Rathbun, G. (2006). Orycteropus afer. In: IUCN (2006). 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. < >. Downloaded on 18 May 2006. Meester, J.A.J., Rautenback, I.L., Dippenaar, N.J. and Baker, C.M. (1986).

Classification of Southern African Mammals. Transvaal Museum Monograph No.5. Nowak, R.M. (ed.) (1999) Walkers Mammals of the World. Sixth edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London. Skinner, J.D. and Smithers, R.H.N. (1990). The mammals of the southern African subregion, second edition University of Pretoria, Pretoria. South Africa. Stuart, C. and Stuart, T. (1997). Field guide to the larger mammals of Africa. Struik Publishers, Cape Town. if you can provide new information to update this species account or to correct any errors, please email us at info@edgeofexistence.org Forum comments * Earth Pig (Animals) - Definition,meaning - Online Encyclopedia Aardvark means "Earth pig" in Afrikaans, a language of South Africa. The aardvark is a solitary, shy, nocturnal animal. Aardvark s live in African savannas, open grasslands, woodlands, and scrub. They range from southern Egypt to the Cape of Good Hope in the far south of Africa.

The name aardvark comes from a word meaning "earth pig." Although the aardvark , endemic to Africa, shares some similarities with the South American anteater , the two are not related. The name comes from the obsolete Afrikaans name for "earth pig" (aarde earth, varken pig), because early settlers from Europe thought it resembled a pig. However, the Aardvark is not closely related to pigs, being placed in its own order. Their name comes from South Africa's Afrikaans language and means "earth pig." A glimpse of the aardvark 's body and long snout brings the pig to mind. On closer inspection, the aardvark appears to include other animal features as well. The Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized mammal native to Africa. The name comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch for "earth pig" (aarde earth, varken pig), because early settlers from Europe thought it resembled a pig. However, the Aardvark is not closely related to pigs. Aardvark s are known by several common names including antbears, anteater s or Cape anteater s.

The name aardvark is Afrikaans (a daughter language of Dutch) for earth pig. Despite these common names, aardvark s are not closely related to pigs or anteater s. Instead, they occupy their own distinct order. The Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) (‘Digging foot'), sometimes called ‘antbear' is a medium-sized mammal native to Africa. The name comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch for ‘earth pig', because early settlers from Europe thought it resembled a pig. Its forefeet are adapted for making borrows in the ground and for clawing open the nests of ants and termite s in order to capture the insects with its sticky tongue . Its cylindrical teeth are without enamel and roots. It is also called ant bear and earth pig. Other animal pictures ... "Pate" is a local name which was once popular in northern England. The name "badget" was once common, but restricted to Norfolk, while "earth dog" was used in southern Ir eland .[9] The badger is commonly referred to in Welsh as a "mochyn daear" (earth pig). [10] ...

Amazing facts about Aardvarks - OneKind OneKind Animal A-Z Aardvark Aardvarks look a bit like pigs, with rabbit-like ears and a kangaroo’s tail - yet they are not related to any of these animals. In fact, one of their closest living relatives is the elephant! Find more animals like this woodland Amazing Facts About the Aardvark The name Aardvark comes from South Africa’s Afrikaans language and means ‘earth pig’ or ‘ground pig’. Aardvarks are also known as ‘antbears’, ‘anteaters’, ‘Cape anteater’ and ‘earth hogs’. They are nocturnal. After sunset, they leave their cool burrows and forage over many km in grasslands and forests for their favorite food, termites, swinging their long nose from side to side to pick up the termites’ scent. Aardvarks use their powerful feet and claws, which resemble spades, for fast digging of underground burrows and digging up large earthen termite mounds to feast on the insects within.

Their tough thick skin protects them from bites, whilst their wormlike tongue can be up to 30.5 cm long and is sticky, meaning they can trap up to 50,000 termites or ants in one night! An unusual but helpful ability allows Aardvarks to seal their nostrils, keeping dust and insects from invading their snouts. Share An aardvark’s keen hearing warns it of predators such as lions, leopards, hunting dogs, hyenas, and pythons. If they need to escape, they can dig fast or run in zigzags. It if all else fails, they will strike with their claws, tail and shoulders, sometimes flipping onto their backs to lash out with all fours. If attacked in the tunnel, they seal the tunnel off behind or turn around and attack with their claws. Main burrows, which are used for breeding, can be deep and extensive, have several entrances and can be as long as 13 meters. Solitary aniamls, aardvarks change their home borrow layout regularly, and from time to time move on and make a new one. The old burrows are then inhabited by smaller animals like the African Wild Dog.

The aardvark is admired in African folklore because of its diligent search for food and its lack of fear of soldier ants. Life span in the wild: 23 years Size: Head and body 109 to 135 cm; Tail 53 to 66 cm Weight: 50 to 82 kg Habitat: Savannas, grasslands, woodlands and bushland Range: Across Africa South of the Sahara Scientific name: Orycteropus afer Etymology of mammal names in English | A natural history of Britain A natural history of Britain Etymology of mammal names in English Etymology of animal names Adapted from: Wikipedia , OED, the superb Oxford New Encyclopedia of Mammals, the excellent Etymonline + more sources- Please Contact me with suggestions. Aardvark From the Afrikaans / Dutch for “earth pig” ( aarde earth, varken pig), because early settlers from Europe thought it resembled a pig . Armadillo From Spanish. armadillo, dim. of armado “armored,” from Latin. armatus, pp.

of armare “to arm” Badger The name badger is possibly derived from the word badge , on account of the marks on the head. An older term for “badger” is brock ( Old English brocc ), a Celtic loanword ( Gaelic broc , Welsh broch , from Proto-Celtic *brokko ). Note: Dachshund From German. Dachshund, from Dachs, from common I.E. word for “badger” + Hund “dog.. See badgers in Spain Bear The Proto-Indo-European word for bear, h?ktos (ancestral to the Greek arktos , Latin ursus , Welsh arth (c.f. Arthur ), Sanskrit ??? , Hittite hartagga ) seems to have been subject to taboo deformation or replacement (as was the word for wolf , wlk w os ), – because of hunters’ taboo on names of wild animals in the northern branches – resulting in the use of numerous unrelated words with meanings like “brown one” (English bruin ) and “honey-eater” (Slavic medved ). Thus four separate Indo-European language groups do not share the same Proto Indo European root.

In the Finnish countryside (so claims wikipedia), the word for “bear” remains taboo to this day. The theory of the bear taboo is taught to almost all beginning students of Indo-European and historical linguistics; the putative original PIE word for bear is itself descriptive, because a cognate word in Sanskrit is rakshas , meaning “harm, injury” See bears in Spain The Smithsonian National Zoological Park notes:” Ursus arctos is the scientific name not for the Arctic-living polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ), but for the brown (or grizzly) bear. This designation is rather redundant, as ursus is the Latin word for “bear” and arctos comes from arktos , the Greek word for bear. The derivation of these twin terms, however, is a stellar story. According to Greek myth, the god Zeus fell in love with and impregnated Callisto, a young attendant of Artemis (the goddess of the hunt). As punishment, Callisto was transformed by Hera or Artemis (depending on the version of the myth) into a bear, or by Zeus to evade Hera’s notice.

Zeus eventually summoned Callisto into the heavens to become the constellation Arktos, later known as Ursa Major in Latin. Callisto’s son, Arcas, himself is said to have turned into the constellation Bootes, adjacent to his mother’s domain, Ursa Major. Because of the position of these constellations in the northern skies, the word “Arctic” came to refer to the northern polar region. (Polaris, the North Star, itself is part of the Ursa Minor constellation.) “ Beluga From Russian. beluga, lit. “great white,” from belo- “white” + augmentative suffix -uga Caracal From Turkish karakulak for “black ear” in reference to the most conspicuous feature of the caracal: its long, tufted black ears. Caribou Thought to come from a Native North-American Mi’kmaq word meaning “one that paws (the ground)”. Cheetah From Hindi chita “leopard,” ultimately from from Sanskrit word Chitraka meaning “Speckled” Chimpanzee ” The first use of the name “chimpanzee”, however, did not occur until 1738.

The name is derived from an Angolan Bantu language term “Tshiluba kivili-chimpenze”, which is the local name for the animal and translates loosely as “mockman” or possibly just “ape”. The colloquialism ” chimp ” was most likely coined some time in the late 1870s. Science would eventually take the ‘pan’ occurring in ‘chim pan zee’ and attribute it to Pan , a rural ancient Greek god of nature . Biologists would apply Pan as the genus name of the animal. Chimps as well as other apes had also been purported to have existed in ancient times, but did so mainly as myths and legends on the edge of Euro-Arabic societal consciousness, mainly through fragmented and sketchy accounts of European adventurers… When chimpanzees first began arriving on the European continent, European scientists noted the inaccuracy of these ancient descriptions, which often falsely reported that chimpanzees had horns and hooves. The first of these early trans-continental chimpanzees came from Angola and were presented as a gift to the Prince of Orange in 1640, and were followed by a few of its brethren over the next several years.

Scientists who examined these rare specimens were baffled, and described these first chimpanzees as ” pygmies “, and noted the animals’ distinct similarities to humans. The next two decades would see a number of the creatures imported into Europe, mainly acquired by various zoological gardens as entertainment for visitors. ” Wikipedia Note. The original Latin name for the chimpanzee was Troglodytes niger, but, following the first-come-first-served rules of zooloogical nomenclature, this had to be relinquished as a genus (for both chimps and gorillas) as Troglodytes had already been applied to the wren, though chimps got to keep troglodytes as the species descriptor (Pan troglodytes) Dolphin From Ancient Greek, delphis meaning “with a womb”, viz. “a ‘fish’ with a womb”. Dormouse From Anglo-Norman dormeus “sleepy (one)”; the word later altered by folk etymology to resemble word ” mouse “. Dormice can hibernate six months out of the year, or even longer if the weather remains sufficiently cool, sometimes waking for brief periods to eat food they had previously stored nearby.

The sleepy behaviour of the Dormouse character in Lewis Carroll ‘s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland attests to this trait. The Spanish “dormir como un lirón” (to sleep like a dormouse) means (evidently) “to sleep like a log”. Dugong From Malay duyung meaning lady of the sea or mermaid. Duck billed platypus When the Platypus was first discovered by Europeans in the late 1700s, a pelt was sent back to the United Kingdom. The British scientists were at first convinced that the seemingly odd collection of physical attributes must be a hoax. It was thought that somebody had sewn a duck’s beak onto the body of a beaver-like animal. The scientific name Ornithorhynchus is derived from “ornithorhynkhos”, which literally means “bird snout” in Greek , and anatinus means “duck-like”.

The common name is Latin platypus , derived from the Greek words “platys”, flat and “pous”, foot, meaning “flat foot” and was originally given to it as a Linnaean genus name, but it was discovered to already belong to the wood-boring ambrosia beetle (genus Platypus ). Romance languages, however, kept the original term – eg Spanish ornitorrinco.There is no universally agreed upon plural of “platypus”. Scientists generally use “platypuses”, “platypoda”, or simply “platypus”. Colloquially, “platypi” is also used for the plural, although this is spurious pseudo-Latin . (The true plural would be “platypodes”.)Australian Aborigines call the Platypus by many names including mallangong , boondaburra , and tambreet. Fox O.E. fox, from W.Gmc. fukhs – corresponding to Proto Indo European IE puk– “tail” (cf. Skt. puccha– “tail”).

Bushy tail motif is also the source of words for “fox” in Welsh ( llwynog, from llwyn “bush”); Sp/Port ( raposa, from rabo “tail”); Lith. ( uodegis “fox,” from uodega “tail”). Giraffe From It. giraffa, from Arabic. zarafa, probably from an African language Gorilla Gorilla is recently coined word and its story would read like a modern myth if it weren’t so well documented. U.S. missionary Thomas Savage first used it in 1847 to call the apes ( Troglodytes gorills ) from the Greek gorillai, the name given to wild, hairy tribe of women, in the Greek . translation of Carthaginian navigator Hanno’s account of his voyage along the N.W. coast of Africa, in 5th or 6th century B.C . European exloreres as late as the early 19th century thought gorillas were a “savage people” not an animal. Gorillas in the 19th century were grossly misrepresented in both scientific and popular writing, their supposed ferocity later hyperbolised in the King Kong story,.

This piece published in the Illustrated London News was published in the same year as the Origin of the Spacies. I found it in Richard Dawkins’ excellent The Ancestor’s Tale. Dawkins introduces it with: This piece is replete with falsehoods of a quantity and magnitude that try even the high standards set by travellers’ tales of the time: … a close inspection is almost an impossibility, especially as the moment it sees a man it attacks him. The strength of the adult male being prodigious, and the teeth heavy and powerful, it is said to watch, concealed in the thick branches of the forest trees, the approach of any of the human species, and, as they pass under the tree, let down its terrible hind feet, furnished with an enormous thumb, grasp its victim round the throat, lift him from the earth, and, finally, drop him on the ground dead. Sheer malignity prompts the animal to this course, for it does not eat the dead man’s flesh, but finds a fiendish gratification in the mere act of killing.

There are now considered to be two species of gorilla, The Western Gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla ) and the Eastern Gorilla (Gorilla beringei), each of which is divided into at least two subspecies. The Eastern Gorilla was “discovered” by Europeans as late as 1902 by one Captain von Beringe who discovered “discovered” it by shooting one, and was rewarded by having it named after him. (eg here ) Hippopotamus From the Greek hippopotamos , hippos meaning “horse” and potamos meaning “river”, Hyena Hyrax See rabbit below Jaguar The word jaguar comes from the South American Tupi-Guarani language. The original and complete indigenous name for the species is Yaguareté , where – eté means “true”. Yagua means “fierce” in Guarani . . Leopard From O.Fr. lebard, leupart, from L.L. leopardus, lit. “lion-pard,” from Gk. leopardos, from leon “lion” + pardos “male panther,” which generally is said to be connected to Skt.

prdakuh “panther, tiger.” The animal was thought in ancient times to be a hybrid of these two species. Kangaroo The word kangaroo derives from the Australian Aboriginal language Guugu Yimidhirr word gangurru , referring to a grey kangaroo. The name was first recorded on 4 August 1770 , by to-be Captain James Cook. Kangaroo soon became adopted into standard English where it has come to mean any member of the family of kangaroos and wallabies. The word Kangaroo is said to be the first word in any Australian Aboriginal language uttered by a European., in this case Captain Cook. The belief that it means “I don’t understand” or “I don’t know” is a popular myth that is also applied to many other Aboriginal-sounding Australian words. Wallaby is from native Australian wolaba. Lemur Coined by Linnaeus, from L. lemures (pl.) “spirits of the dead” in Roman mythology, in reference to the lemur’s nocturnal habits and large, reflective eyes. The Smithsonian National Zoological Park notes: ” The evolution of this Latin word has its own haunted history.

According to ancient mythology, the city of Rome was founded by twin brothers Romulus and Remus, who had been suckled by a she-wolf as babies. Arguing over who should rule the new city, Romulus murdered Remus and named the city after himself. But the ghost of the fallen brother haunted Rome from then on. Every May, citizens of Rome would hold a festival-first called Remuria, but later corrupted to Lemuria-to expiate the ghost of Remus and other ancestral spirits. From this tradition grew the word lemures , one of several Latin words-including larva , the shell of a ghost-used to refer to various forms of phantom. “Lemuria” also is the name of a mythological sunken super-continent, akin to Atlantis, once believed to lie in the Indian Ocean-coincidentally near the real lemur’s native home. “ Mink “burrowing mammal,”, probably from obsolete mouldwarp, lit. “earth-thrower” from O.E. molde “earth, soil” Mongoose Mongoose is derived from the Indian language Marathi word mangus, the Eng. word being altered by folk-etymology. .The plural form of mongoose is typically written mongooses .

The form mongeese is incorrect since the words goose and mongoose are linguistically unrelated. Moose From mus or mooz in several of the Algonquian languages , meaning “twig eater.” or from moosu “he strips off,” in reference to the animals’ stripping bark for food.) Mouse Thoroughly Indo-European , (Sanskrit. mus “mouse, rat”) The Ancient Romans did not generally differentiate between rats and mice, instead referring to the former as Mus Maximus (big mouse) and the latter as Mus Minimus (little mouse or Minnie Mouse, perhaps). The same distinction still exist today e.g in Spanish ratón and rata. Narwhal The name “narwhal” is derived from the Old Norse word náhvalr , meaning “corpse whale”. This probably is a reference to the mottled white and grey colouring of the skin of the adult. It may also refer to the way a narwhal can lie belly up, motionless, for a few minutes at a time. Otter Ultimately stemming from a root which apparently also gave rise to the English words “water”, “wet” and “winter”. (cf. Skt.

udrah, “otter – water creature from root *udr- “water.” Note: Latin . lutra, gives rise to Spanish nutria. Panda The name ” panda ” originates with a Himalayan language, possibly Nepalese . And as used in the West it was originally applied to the red panda , to which the giant panda was thought to be related. Until its relation to the red panda was discovered in 1901 , the giant panda was known as Mottled Bear or Partli-coloured Bear . The Smithsonian National Zoological Park notes: “One of the few known candidates for the root of the word panda is pónya , possibly derived from a Nepali word referring to the ball of the foot–perhaps a keen observation of how this bear eats bamboo with an adapted wrist bone that functions as an opposable thumb and sixth digit. Other writers believe that “panda” came from wah , the Nepali name for the red panda ( Ailurus fulgens ), and originating from the childlike sound that this species sometimes makes. The ultimate answer, however, may remain as elusive as a wild giant panda in a forest of bamboo”.

In Chinese , the giant panda is called the “large bear cat” or “cat bear” Most bears’ eyes have round pupils. The exception is the giant panda, whose pupils are vertical slits, like cats’ eyes. It is these unusual eyes that inspired the Chinese to call the panda the “giant bear cat”. Pangolin From the Malay word pengguling (peng- , instrumental pref. + guling , to roll over) for “curling” in reference to its defensive habit. Panther Ultimately from Sanskrit pundarikam “tiger,” probably lit. “the yellowish animal,” from pandarah “whitish-yellow.” Rabbit From Flemish. The old word coney was used until the 18th century to describe the animal. This comes from the Latin word cuniculus, which, itself comes from an Iberian term. Rabbits were virtually restricted to the Iberian Peninsula until Roman times. When the Phoenicians first ventured westwards in search of trade some 2500 years ago, they came upon a land inhabited by tribes whom the Greeks would later call the Iberians (after the river Iberus – the Ebro).

They also saw (and no doubt roasted) some strange floppy-eared animals which appeared in great numbers everywhere. So, according to the most popular theory, they called the land i-shepan-im , land or coast of rabbits, or to be more precise the land of hyrax , the animal they knew well from their North African homeland and confused with the rabbit. To the Romans, it became Hispania, and in the Middle Ages, Spain – the land of rabbits. When Strabo refers to rabbits in Spain he calls them “little or burrowing hares” as the Romans had no name for rabbit, until they adopted the Iberian term. Turdetania* also has a great abundance of cattle of all kinds, and of game. But there are scarcely any destructive animals, except the burrowing hares, by some called “peelers”; for they damage both plants and seeds by eating the roots. This pest occurs throughout almost the whole of Iberia , and extends even as far as Massilia, and infests the islands as well. *roughly equivilent to Andalusia Pliny also refers to rabbits in his Natural History There are also numerous species of hares.

Those in the Alps are white, and it is believed that, during the winter, they live upon snow for food; at all events, every year, as the snow melts, they acquire a reddish colour; it is, moreover, an animal which is capable of existing in the most severe climates. There is also a species of hare, in Spain, which is called the rabbit ( coney, ” cuniculus); it is extremely prolific, and produces famine in the Balearic islands, by destroying the harvests. The young ones, either when cut from out of the body of the mother, or taken from the breast, without having the entrails removed, are considered a most delicate food; they are then called laurices. It is a well-known fact, that the inhabitants of the Balearic islands begged of the late Emperor Augustus the aid of a number of soldiers, to prevent the too rapid increase of these animals. Likewise references in the Bible in English and other languages to rabbit should have been translated as rock hyrax as rabbits were absent from the Middle East..

“Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney : for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you” Leviticus, chapter 11 (Note neither rabbits nor hyraxes ruminate – they don’t chew the cud) And elsewhere ” The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies” . Psalms, psalm 104 “The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks” Proverbs, chapter 30 King James Bible So the Bible’s coney is really the Rock hyrax Hyrax comes from Greek hurax , shrew mouse (hu rax). Also called, particularly in Southern Africa as a Dassie from Afrikaans from Dutch das for badger (see Dachshund above). Their small but stocky appearance led to further confusion when Storr in 1780 mistakenly linked their group to guinea pigs of the genus Cavia – and so gave their group’s name Procaviidae or “before the guinea pigs”.

(which of course are not pigs, anyway) The Smithsonian National Zoological Park notes on American jackass rabbits which are really hares: “European settlers of the American Southwest likened the long ears of black-tailed jackrabbits ( Lepus californicus ) to donkeys’ ears, and so named the animals “jackass rabbits.” Mark Twain endorsed this moniker in his book Roughing It : “…We saw the first specimen of an animal known familiarly…as the ‘jackass rabbit.’ He is well named. He is just like any other rabbit, except that he is from one-third to twice as large, has longer legs in proportion to his size, and has the most preposterous ears that ever were mounted on any creature but a jackass.” The common name was eventually shortened to “jackrabbit.” Raccoon Derived from the Algonquian word aroughcoune , “he who scratches with his hands.” In many languages, the raccoon is named for its characteristic dousing behavior.

Waschbär in German , orsetto lavatore in Italian , tvättbjörn in Swedish , vaskebjørn in Norwegian , mýval in Czech , wasbeer in Dutch , pesukarhu in Finish , araiguma in Japanese , wanxiong in Chinese , all mean “washing bear.” In French the common raccoon is called raton laveur or “little washing rat”; the Linnean binomial is Procyon lotor or, roughly, “washing pre-dog.”. The Spanish term Mapache is from another indigineous language. Polecat Probably Anglo-Fr. pol, from O.Fr. poule “fowl, hen,” so called because it preys on poultry. Rhinoceros from the Greek words rhino (nose) and keros (horn). Rorqual From Norwegian röyrkval “furrow whale”. This is in reference to the longitudinal folds of skin below and behind the mouth that are a distinctive feature of the species. Skunk Skunk is a corruption of an Abenaki name for them, segongw or segonku, meaning “one who squirts” in Algonquian.

Note: The musk-spraying ability of the skunk has not escaped the attention of biologists: the name of the most common species, Mephitis mephitis , means “stench stench”, and Spilogale putorius means “stinking spotted weasel”. Squirrel From Anglo-Fr. esquirel and ultimately from Greek skia ” shadow ” and oura ” tail ” i.e. “tail that casts a shadow”). Tiger From Greek tigris, itself borrowed from Iranian. Walrus from Dutch : wal meaning “shore”, and r(e)us meaning “giant”) Warthog The name comes from the four large warts found on the head of the warthog, which serve the purpose of defense when males fight. Wildebeast From Dutch wild beest – “wild animal”. Although the name is derived from the Dutch, the name wildebeest doesn’t officially exist in the Dutch language. The Dutch name for wildebeest is gnoe (where the Dutch “g” is pronounced [x] ).

‘Gnu‘ is from a Khoikhoi language (which pronounced the [g]), which likely imitated it from the grunt-type noise that a wildebeest makes. Vole From volemouse , lit. “field-mouse,” with probably from O.N.

völlr for field Back here for more trivia, facts, figures, quotes abouts mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, plants, mountains, rivers… Here for Iberianature : a guide to the natural history of Spain Etymology of Aardvark Derivation of the word Armadillo Derivation of the word Badger Derivation of the word Bear Derivation of the word Beluga Derivation of the word Caracal Derivation of the word Caribou Derivation of the word Cheetah Derivation of the word Dolphin Derivation of the word Dugong Derivation of the word Duck billed platypus Derivation of the word Fox Derivation of the word Giraffe Derivation of the word Hippopotamus Derivation of the word Hyena Derivation of the word Jaguar Derivation of the word Leopard Derivation of the word Kangaroo Derivation of the word Mink Derivation of the word Mole Derivation of the word Mongoose Derivation of the word Moose Derivation of the word Mouse Derivation of the word Narwhal Derivation of the word Otter Derivation of the word Panda Derivation of the word Pangolin Derivation of the word Panther Derivation of the word Raccoon Der

ivation of the word Rabbit Derivation of the word Polecat Derivation of the word Rhinoceros Derivation of the word Skunk Derivation of the word Squirrel Derivation of the word Tiger Derivation of the word Walrus Derivation of the word Warthog Derivation of the word Wildebeast Derivation of the word Vole The word Aardvark comes from The word Armadillo comes from The word Badger comes from The word Bear comes from The word Beluga comes from The word Caracal comes from The word Caribou comes from The word Cheetah comes from The word Dolphin comes from The word Dugong comes from The word Duck billed platypus comes from The word Fox comes from The word Giraffe comes from The word Hippopotamus comes from The word Hyena comes from The word Jaguar comes from The word Leopard comes from The word Kangaroo comes from The word Mink comes from The word Mole comes from The word Mongoose comes from The word Moose comes from The word Mouse comes from The word Narwhal comes from The word Otter comes from The word Panda comes from The word Pangolin comes from The word Panther comes from The word Raccoon comes from The word Rabbit comes from The word

 Polecat comes from The word Rhinoceros comes from The word Skunk comes from The word Squirrel comes from The word Tiger comes from The word Walrus comes from The word Warthog comes from The word Wildebeast comes from The word Vole comes from Leave a Reply Aardvark: Nocturnality, Mammal, Cape of Good Hope, Afrikaans, Pig, Order biology , Anteater, Elephant shrew, Sirenia, Hyrax, Tenrecidae: Amazon.it: Frederic P.

Miller, Agnes F. Vandome, John McBrewster: Libri in altre lingue Libri in altre lingue Ancora non sappiamo quando l'articolo sarÃ di nuovo disponibile. Aggiungi alla Lista Passa al retro Passa al fronte Ascolta Riproduzione in corso... In pausa Stai ascoltando un campione dell'edizione audio udibile. Maggiori informazioni Visualizza l'immagine Aardvark: Nocturnality, Mammal, Cape of Good Hope, Afrikaans, Pig, Order (biology), Anteater, Elephant shrew, Sirenia, Hyrax, Tenrecidae (Inglese) Copertina flessibile – 18 set 2010 Copertina flessibile, 18 set 2010 "Ti preghiamo di riprovare" Non Ã¨ necessario possedere un dispositivo Kindle. Scarica una delle app Kindle gratuite per iniziare a leggere i libri Kindle sul tuo smartphone, tablet e computer. Apple Per scaricare una app gratuita, inserisci il numero di cellulare. oppure Non hai un Kindle?

Scopri Kindle , oppure scarica l'applicazione di lettura Kindle GRATUITA. Dettagli prodotto Editore: Alphascript Publishing (18 settembre 2010) Lingua: Inglese Media recensioni: Recensisci per primo questo articolo Garanzia e recesso: Se vuoi restituire un prodotto entro 30 giorni dal ricevimento perchÃ© hai cambiato idea, consulta la nostra pagina d'aiuto sul Diritto di Recesso . Se hai ricevuto un prodotto difettoso o danneggiato consulta la nostra pagina d'aiuto sulla Garanzia Legale . Per informazioni specifiche sugli acquisti effettuati su Marketplace consulta… Maggiori informazioni la nostra pagina d'aiuto su Resi e rimborsi per articoli Marketplace . aardvark - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com Random Word aardvark An aardvark is an African animal with a long nose. Aardvarks are well known for eating ants and termites. You might see an aardvark if you visit a zoo.

Some people call aardvarks "antbears," because of their diet of small insects. Aardvarks are the size of a badger or small pig, and they tend to be nocturnal, burrowing for food at night with their long tongues and sleeping during the day. The word aardvark comes from Afrikaans Dutch, literally meaning "earth-pig," a combination of aard, "earth," and vark, "pig."

Question: The name of which mammal comes from the Afrikaans for 'earth pig'?
Answer: AARDVARK